Separatism In Sri Lanka

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2610590672
Ankitkumar Patel
HSS 405-104
Prof. Charles Brooks
5/5/2014
Sri Lanka and Tamil Separatism
Territorial issues are involved in various political disputes that lead to separatism usually from the minorities in the country (Knight, 1982). The separatism refers to the separation or independence from a larger group, however, ethnic separation refers to conflict based on cultural differences amongst diverse residents in a country. Sri Lanka is a small South Asian island country which experienced ethnic separation entrenched in cultural differences including many factors such as traditional customs, language and religion that make groups of individuals distinct from each other. Humans have learned to celebrate their own identity and diversity; however, a glance into some of the bloodiest clashes in history tells that conflicts arising from ethnic differences have been the cause of many wars. Sri Lanka is an example of one such country where individuals of Tamil community are discriminated and rejected by Sinhala community of country. This caused the Tamils to pursue separatism.
The Tamil and Sinhala communities of Sri Lanka trace their history back to India; however, both groups have had hostility throughout the country’s history (Vijaya, 2011). During the British Rule the animosity between both communities was silenced. After England left the country the enmity flared up because they left without any proper geographical division of country. Sri Lanka’s failure to embrace its multi-ethnic population after its independence from Britain was the main factor for decades of social turmoil and separatism that has torn the country apart. Ethnic-based marginalization of minority populations, which include the Tamils, Burghers, Moors...

... middle of paper ...

...f the Tamils finding a voice to fight on their behalf to lead them to freedom and independence, the LTTE ignited a civil war that was seen and recognized worldwide. The Tamil people still reside in Sri Lanka as a unified country but separated ethnically.

Word Cited

Bandarage, Asoka. "Sri Lanka: Facing a separatist challenge." Sri Lanka Guardian. N.p., 2 Mar. 2011. Web. 1 May 2011.

Bandarage, Asoka. The separatist conflict in sri lanka. Abingdon: Routledge, 2009. 28-47. Web. 1 May 2011.

Fernandes, Clinton. Asia and oceania. Westport: Greenwood publishing group, 2008. 229-31. Web. 1 May 2011.
"Vijaya." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 2011. Web. 1 May 2011.

Knight, David. “Identity and territory: geographical perspectives on nationalism and regionalism”. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol.LXXII (1982):514-531.

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